Dehumidifier



Nov. 16, 1937. R. T. SMITH 2,099,665

DEHUMIDIFIER Filed March 1, 1937 IN VENTOR.

BY ,4fua'sel/ 11%1 v tyaiz.

. ATTORNEYJ.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEHUMIDIFIER Russell T. Smith, Indianapolis,Ind., assignor to Climax Machinery Company, Indianapolis, Ind., acorporation of Indiana Application March 1, 1937, Serial No. 128,523

11 Claims. (01. 62-140) The present application is a continuation inbelow the dew point, a part of the moisture carpart of my copendingapplication Serial No, ried by the air will be condensed upon the sur-59,623, filed January 1'7, 1936, for Method of and faces of the fins.This condensation results in apparatus for conditioning air; and relatesto a the formation of droplets of water which tend 5 dehydrator ordehumidifier, the function of which to adhere to the vertical surfacesof the fins. 5 is to reduce the relative humidity of the atmos- Asbroadly described thus far, the organization phere in an enclosed space.does not difier materially from the prior art as The primary object ofthe invention is to illustrated, for instance, in the patent to Strangprovide a unit of such character that, when a et al No. 1,933,771. Instructures of the type of stream of air is directed therethrough,moisture the Strang patent, however, the spacing of the 10 from the airwill be condensed upon the elements fins is such that the droplets ofwater form thereof the unit and will be rapidly precipitated from on inthe manner illustratedin Fig. 3; and, after the elements oi. the unitinto a receptacle from a relatively short period of operation, the finsare which the moisture may be readily drawn. Furso profusely coveredwith such droplets as to 5 ther objects of the invention will appear asthe be not only insulated, so far as cooling efiect descriptionproceeds. upon the passing air is concerned, but further To theaccomplishment of the above and reas to permit no further condensationof moisture lated objects, my invention may be embodied in from the airand, in fact, in many instances, the the form illustrated in theaccompanying drawair passing through the spaces between the ing,attention being called to thefact, however, moisture-covered finsactually absorbs moisture 20 that the drawing is illustrative only, andthat therefrom.

change may be made in the specific construction According to the presentinvention, I space illustrated and described, so long as the scope ofthe fins l2 in such a manner that, as a droplet of the appended claimsis not violated. water grows upon one fin, it soon contacts the 5 Fig. 1is a view of a cabinet containing the denext adjacent fin, in the mannerillustrated in humidifier of the present application, associated Fig. 2;whereupon, the surface tension of the with certain other elements of anair conditiondroplet being broken, the mass of water assumes ingmechanism; the form indicated at l5 and promptly fiows down Fig. 2isahighly magnified view of two adjacent the surfaces of the adjacent finsand drops of! condensing'fins showing the manner in which at the bottominto the collecting pan i6. moisture gathers on, and is carried awayfrom, the I prefer to arrange my fins, which are formed fins; and ofsheet metal, 0.012 inch in thickness, so spaced Fig. 3 is a view similarto Fig. 2, but showing as to provide ten fins in each inch; but it willbe the manner in which droplets of water gather seen that slightvariations from that optimum are and hang upon fins of previously knownunits. permissible. The limits of such variation may 35 Referring moreparticularly to the drawing, it be stated by saying that the adjacentfins are will be seen that I have illustrated a cabinet I0 separatedadistance less than the maximum horin the upper portion of which ismounted a unit izontal dimension of a water droplet adhering tocomprising a refrigerating coil H with which is the vertical surface ofa fin, but greater than a 40 associated a series of substantiallyparallel fins distance such as to hold water, by capillary efiect, 4, I!mounted in vertical planes. A fan I3, driven against gravitational fiow.At present, I believe by any suitable motor (not shown) is so mountedthat the minimum spacing is approximately as to draw air through theunit and between 0.0505 inch and the maximum spacing is apthe fins l2.proximately 0.113 inch; with the optimum being Within 'the lower part ofthe cabinet I0 is 0.088 inch. If fins having a thickness of 0.012 45mounted a refrigerating unit of any desired inch are used, the minimumspacing provides 16 tym which operates to force a refrigerant throughfins to the inch, and the maximum spacing prothe coil ll, therebycooling the fins l2; the revides 8 fins to the inch. Obviously, as thenumfrigerating unit being so operated as to hold the ber of fins perinch is increased, the degree of temperature of the fins slightly belowthe dew dehumidificatlon will be increased, whereby the 50 point; viz.,at a temperature between 40 and relative humidity of the air dischargedfrom the 50 F. device will be decreased. Similarly, therelative It willbe obvious that, as air is drawn through humidity of the air dischargedfrom the device the unit between the fins l2, when it strikes the maybevaried by varying the temperature of the 56 fins which are held at atemperature somewhat fins. 66

I claim as my invention: 1

1. In a device for conditioning air, a cooling unit comprising a conduitfor refrigerant and a series of fins disposed in substantially parallelvertical planes and in intimate contact with said conduit, means fordirecting over said cooling unit a stream of air to be conditioned, andmeans for circulating a fluid refrigerating medium through said conduitat a rate to effect condensation of moisture from such air stream uponsaid fins without causing freezing thereof, said fins beingsubstantially equally spaced apart a distance less than the maximumhorizontal dimension of a water drop condensed on one of said fins fromsuch air stream and of such mass that the surface tension thereoftending to cause said drop to adhere to said one fin is merelysufilcient to overcome the force of gravity tending to slide said dropfrom said fin, but greater than a distance such as to hold water bycapillary attraction against gravitational movement.

2. In a device for conditioning air, a cooling unit comprising a conduitfor refrigerant and a series of fins disposed in substantially parallelvertical planes and in intimate contact with said conduit, means fordirecting over said cooling unit a stream of air to be conditioned, andmeans for circulating a fiuid refrigerating medium through said conduitat a rate to effect condensation of moisture from such air stream uponsaid fins without causing freezing thereof, adjacent fins of the seriesbeing spaced apart at least approximately 0.0505 inch but not more than0.113 inch.

3. In a device for conditioning air, a cooling unit comprising a conduitfor refrigerant and a series of fins disposed in substantially parallelvertical planes and in intimate contact with said conduit, means fordirecting over said cooling unit a stream of air to be conditioned, andmeans i for circulating a fiuid refrigerating medium through saidconduit at a rate to effect condensation of moisture from such airstream upon said fins without causing freezing thereof, adjacent fins ofthe series being spaced apart approximately 0.088 inch.

4. In an air conditioning device, a refrigerant compressor, a condenser,and an evaporator for refrigerant, and conduits connecting said units,whereby refrigerant is compressed and condensed and circulated to saidevaporator in liquid form and there evaporated to extract heat from thecircumainbient atmosphere, a fan, operable to direct a stream of airover said evaporator, said evaporator comprising a plurality of runs ofconduit connected to receive refrigerant from said condenser and todischarge refrigerant to the intake end of said compressor, and a seriesof fins disposed substantially in parallel vertical planes inintimatecontact with said conduit runs, adjacent fins of said seriesbeing spaced apart at least approximately 0.0505 inch and not more thanapproximately 0.113 inch.

5. In an air conditioning device, a refrigerant compressor, a condenser,and an evaporator for refrigerant, and conduits connecting said units,whereby refrigerant is compressed and condensed and circulated to saidevaporator in liquid form and there evaporated to extract heat from thecircumambient atmosphere, a fan, operable to direct a stream of air oversaid evaporator, said evaporator comprising a plurality of ms of conduitconnected to receive refrigerant from said condenser and'to dischargerefrigerant to the intake end of said compressor, and a series of finsdisposed substantially in parallel vertical planes in intimate contactwith said conduit runs, adjacent fins of said series being spaced apartapproximately 0.088 inch. 1

6. In an air cooling system; the combination of a cooling unit, meansfor supplying fiuid refrigerent thereto, means for withdrawingrefrigerant therefrom, and a blower positioned to direct a current ofair to be conditioned through said cooling unit; said cooling unitcomprising a set of vertically extending, parallel spaced apart platesof heat conducting material, and a conduitfor refrigerant, each platehaving a set of perforations therein alined with the perforations in theother plates and saidconduit passing through the perforations in saidplates and extending from side to side of said cooling unit and beingconnected to said refrigerant supplying means and said withdrawingmeans; the spacing of the plates being so correlated with the rest ofthe system that the drops of water condensed on a plate surface from theair directed against the same by the blower will bridge the gap betweensuch surface and the confronting plate surface and pass downwardly outof the set of plates at a rate sufficient to leave surfaces of theplates at all times in a condition to condense moisture from all of theair passing through the unit.

'7. The structure defined in claim 6 in which the spacing of the platesfalls between 0.0505 inch and 0.113 inch.

8. The structure defined in claim 6 in which the plates are spaced apartapproximately 0.088

inch.

9. In an air cooling system; the combination of a cooling unit, meansfor supplying fluid refrigerant thereto, means for withdrawingrefrigerant therefrom, and a blower positioned to direct a current ofair to be conditioned through said cooling unit; said cooling unitcomprising a set of vertically extending, parallel spaced apart platesof heat conducting material, and a conduit for refrigerant, each platehaving a set of perforations therein alined with the perforations in theother plates and said conduit passing through the perforations in saidplates and extending from side to side of said cooling unit and beingconnected to said refrigerant supplying means and, said withdrawingmeans; said plates being arranged with their facing surfaces so closetogether that water droplets condensed on one plate from such air streamwill bridge the gap between said one plate and the adjacent plate, butso far apart that capillary action will not hold said droplets againstflow under the forces urging them along the surface of the plate.

10. The structure defined in claim 9 in which the spacing of the platesfalls between 0.0505 inch and 0.113 inch.

11. The structure defined in claim 9 in which the plates are spacedapart approximately 0.088 inch.

RUSSELL T. SMITH.

